September 2005

Baseball: Comin’ Down to the Wire

September 28, 2005

I haven’t talked about baseball in these parts for a long time. Mostly because — and I wish I could explain why — I’m not as enthralled by my team, the Braves, as I once was. Perhaps it’s my proximity to RFK and the Nationals. The Braves are predictably and monotonously good-but-not-great once again this season; I’m resigned to the fact that they’ll disappoint, like they always do, this post-season. Why get excited?

At any rate, Mike W., a tried-and-true Red Sox fan, has been giving me a hard time for not mentioning how close the playoff races are in both divisions. In the AL, only the Angels have clinched; they’ll likely play the ChiSox. Then it’s looking like the Indians would play either the Yanks or the BoSox — but really, it’s anyone’s game, what with things knotted up with just five games to play.

Over on the NL side, the Braves and the Cardinals have clinched playoff spots, and Atlanta will probably play Houston, with the Padres squaring off against the Cards.

So there you have it. My reluctant and (if I may say so myself) rather uninspired baseball post. Sorry. I’ll try to kick-start my enthusiasm in the coming weeks.

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All I Want for X-Mas is…

September 27, 2005

…a Shitake mushroom log.

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Pop Music Around the World

September 27, 2005

Here’s a delightful SF Chron article from Michael Wolgelenter about various strains of Western pop music — good and bad — he’s discovered in far-flung corners of the world.

I had a similar cross-cultural sonic experience last year in a town on the rural east coast of Taiwan. I was in a bar and listened in amazement as a Taiwanese band launched into a pitch-perfect cover of Mexican rock outfit Mana’s power ballad “Corazon Espinado.” The singer even had the Spanish lyrics down. Here’s a pic of the group:

(Via World Hum.)

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Big Bad Bill Needs a Remedial Econ Class

September 26, 2005

File under: Another Reason to Laugh at Bill O’Reilly: he doesn’t understand basic market economics.

Big Bad Bill on “the price of a gallon of gasoline”:

Every time I ask who sets the price I get “the market”, “the Merc”, “OPEC”, and on and on. Well it’s all B.S. Somebody tells your local gas station owner exactly what to charge. Somebody does that.

Um. Well, no.

(Via Hit & Run.)

Bill+O’Reilly

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Public Outdoor Aerobics Classes

September 26, 2005

If the US wants to get serious about public health, perhaps we should take a page out of Bangkok’s book and start offering free outdoor aerobics classes.

Must be a Southeast Asian thing — I’ve seen it done in Vientiane, Laos:

aerobics, Thailand, Bangkok, Laos

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Pets in Uniform

September 23, 2005

PetsInUniform.com: “Imagine: your dog, cat, or other pet in full military regalia. I make this fantasy a reality….”

(Via Memepool.)

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New Hobbit Evidence

September 23, 2005

BBC:

Scientists are to present new evidence that the tiny human species dubbed “The Hobbit” may not be what it seems.

The researchers say their findings strongly support an idea that the 1m- (3ft-) tall female skeleton from Indonesia is a diseased modern human.

Their claims have been aired in a BBC Horizon programme screened on Thursday.

The Hobbit’s discoverers are adamant it is an entirely separate human species, which evolved a small size in isolation on its remote island home of Flores.

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Passengers Suffer Meta-Media-Meltdown on Stricken Plane

September 22, 2005

CNN:

LOS ANGELES, California (AP) — The airliner circled Southern California for hours, crippled by a faulty landing gear, while inside its cabin 140 passengers watched their own life-and-death drama unfolding on live television.

While satellite TV sets aboard JetBlue Flight 292 were tuned to news broadcasts, some passengers cried. Others tried to telephone relatives and one woman sent a text message to her mother in Florida attempting to comfort her in the event she died.

“It was very weird. It would’ve been so much calmer without” the televisions, Pia Varma of Los Angeles said after the plane skidded to a safe landing Wednesday evening in a stream of sparks and burning tires. No one was hurt.

Funny: I thought TV sets in airplanes had “off” buttons.

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Lucio to Colombia: “Lemme In!”

September 22, 2005

BBC:

Ecuador’s ousted President, Lucio Gutierrez, who faces charges of damaging his country’s security, has requested asylum in Colombia.

The Colombian authorities have granted him a 90-day safe conduct, to give him time to make a formal request.

Mr Gutierrez, who arrived from Peru, was reportedly told at Bogota airport that there was an international warrant for his arrest.

Mr Gutierrez was ousted by congress in April following mass protests.

He previously stayed in Brazil and the United States, before travelling to Peru.

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